The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON-You've likely seen these chocolate Easter eggs at various venues around town over the years. You have probably indulged in them a time or two.

Have you wondered who makes them, how they are made, or why?

The fudge Easter eggs are a fundraising project sponsored by the sixteen members of the Skyline Juniors, a local women's fraternal organization.

"The Skyline Juniors are a community service club," said member Joy Brown. "We do projects and give back to the community."

Brown said the club has been in existence for 54 years and the fudge Easter eggs have been an annual project for the last 40 years.

"The eggs and our Father's Day breakfast during All Wheels Weekend are our primary fundraisers," said member Jennie Dickinson.

The list of beneficiaries of the Skyline Juniors' projects is long, and includes the American Red Cross, Project Timothy, the Christian Aide Center, the Dayton Food Bank, Turkey Bingo, the valedictorians and salutatorians of the Dayton High School graduating classes and families at Christmas time.

"We also make gift bags for the YWCA shelter and donate to special projects like the sidewalk at Booker, the stoplight, and helped to purchase an ambulance," said Dickinson.

Skyline Juniors President Kathy Berg said that this year, ten women made 720 Easter eggs that took about two and a half weeks to complete.

Dickinson said the process requires filling plastic molds with hot chocolate, and allowing them to set up overnight. The eggs are then removed from the molds, and dipped in a shiny chocolate. They are allowed to rest, and then each one is decorated with a ruffle, a rose, and a leaf, all in Easter colors of yellow, blue, green, orange and pink. Finally they are boxed, for distribution, she said.

It took ten women, two and one half weeks to make the eggs, according to Berg. What do they do with the ones that don't turn out?

"We don't have very many bad ones, Brown said.

"The ones that are, we share them, here," said Dickinson.

All agreed that the friendship and camaraderie from working together on the eggs is an added bonus.

Berg said the eggs will sell for three dollars each, and they can be purchased from Dayton Mercantile, McQuary's Grocery, Creative Designs, Elk Drug, the Dayton Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Salon, Dingle's, the Weinhard Café, Steve's Grocery, the Port of Columbia office, Chief Springs Fire and Irons, Pik a Pop, or by calling (509) 520-4091 or (509) 520-5533.